Until We See the Sun
by XupallnightX
Summary: Accidentally meeting a famous boy band on a tourist attraction wasn't the intention of studying abroad, or inviting her friend to visit. But it happened. So what do famous boy bands do when they're evading their manager and have two semi-fans along on the adventure? It's summertime in England and One Direction is on the run. Harry/OC, Liam/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is my first fanfic and I hope you like it and leave nice reviews! 1 DIRECTION FOREVER! Except Zayn cause he's a lame-o.**

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 _Dear Britney,_

 _I am so very bored. It's been two years and I'm bloody sick of the god-forsaken rain in this shit country!_

 _Reading the sentence I just wrote makes me worried for my sanity. I've spent too many years among the Brits and I've begun to use their vernacular. Although studying abroad was the best choice I could have made at the time, I miss my asshole homeland on occasion. Mostly I just miss you and Bryce. Sorry to hear about the break-up, by the way. "Drumline audition stress" is a lame excuse to break up with your smokin' hot older girlfriend._

 _He's not even going to a super cool college._

 _Anyway, that doesn't matter. What does matter is this: my roommate is on foreign exchange to Italy and my apartment has an available bed till the end of the summer when we can both return to the United States. Come stay with me and explore the magical, rainy country of England! It will be so much fun!_

 _I already have a day plan for most of the summer, I just need you to cover your ticket money and bring some extra spending money for food and whatnot. I know you've been working that same summer job at Plato's ever since I quite. You can do this! Please? One last adventure before your senior year of college and just after I graduate?_

 _I have enclosed a list of things you'll need if you visit, but answer soon before I have to find another roommate to help pay the bills._

 _Much friendly love, miss you!_

 _Alice_

Britney set the letter down on the kitchen table and went to find her mother and her suitcase. She needed to get out of town, needed to get out of the state, even the country. Nothing would heal a broken heart as quickly as the romanticism of Europe, and nothing would be quite as fun as staying with her close friend (who, after two years abroad, probably knew the area pretty well) and seeing the sights. Good food, cute British boys with _accents,_ Britney was in daydream mode as she rushed to find her mom and ask her about the trip, knowing full well she had enough saved up from several years of summer jobs to pay for it.

Screw getting a new lamp for her dorm room, she was going to Britain.


	2. Chapter 2

**Who is your favorite member of the band and why? Is my story okay? Cool.**

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The first thing that registered in Alice's groggy, sleep-addled mind was the insistent sound of patterned knocking on her thin apartment door. She glanced over to the digital alarm clock on her bedside table, which read 6:00am in blocky neon green letters. Classes were over, she'd graduated, and the rent had been responsibly paid through the next two months just a couple days ago. _Who could be at the door at this ungodly hour?_ Alice wondered, the tapping consistently repeating the same pattern against the door over and over. Rolling slowly out of bed, Alice dragged her tired body to the front door and opened it slowly, stepping back so her toes didn't get hit by the bottom of the slightly saggy wooden corner.

"Yeah?" she groaned; her eyes were still blurry with sleep and her words slurred slightly. "Can I help you?"

"You could help me carry in my bags and find me somewhere to sleep," the chipper, familiar voice responded. Alice immediately perked up, her brain kicking into full gear with the happy recognition. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes with her fingertips and shoved her long bangs behind her ear.

"Britney!"

The smaller girl was immediately lifted from the floor and spun in a happy circle; much like Alice had often done in high school. Alice looked her friend up and down, trying to sense any post-high school changes. Britney looked exactly the same. Her hair was hidden under a blue beanie, her brown eyes were wide with excitement (and a slight lack of sleep) and her cheeks were round and chipmunk like, especially when her mouth was pulled up into a smile (which it was, at the moment). Alice pulled her friend and her two bags into the apartment and closed the door behind them; flicking the switch near the door and watching the kitchen and living room fill with soft white light.

"When did you get here? Why didn't you call me so I could pick you up? How was the flight? Are you hungry?" Alice rapid fire questioned, leading Britney into her roommate's old bedroom and setting her bags down next to the closet doors and gesturing to the refrigerator. "I have food."

"My flight landed about an hour ago and I took a taxi, because I knew you'd be sleeping. I just wanted to be a little independent I guess," Britney shrugged. "Plus it was so pretty outside; I just stood next to the door to the apartment building and watched people drive on the wrong side of the car for a few minutes. England is weird, but I like it."

"Yeah, I like it here, too."

"I sure hope so, especially since you graduated here and went to fancy British people school," Britney laughed, "What do they call it, again? Uni?"

"Yes, Uni," Alice nodded. "Short for University."

"I assumed as much," Britney shrugged. She unzipped her largest bag, reaching inside for a hairbrush that rested on top of her tiny makeup bag and two pairs of sneakers. "Oh! And I guess I'm a little hungry. But it can wait; I snacked at the airport while waiting for my bag to get checked."

"What's the brush even for?" Alice joked, seeing the object in Britney's hand. Last time she'd seen her friend, Britney had kept her hair in short page-boy style. She'd had it that way all through high school, or at least as long as Alice had known her. When Britney removed her beanie, however, Alice was not expecting the shoulder-length locks. "Dang, girl! You look fantastic! Like a movie star. Or a L'Oreal commercial model."

"Thanks," Britney smirked, jokingly flipping her brown tresses to the side. "I practice."

"So _why_ did you decide to spend half your senior year college fund visiting me for the summer?" Alice inquired, helping her friend transfer clothes and shoes from the suitcase to the closet.

Britney sighed as she hung up one of her many Marvel themed t-shirts and turned to grab another from the bulging case. "I guess I came here for the same reason you did, to get out of our hometown and see new things."

"You didn't come just because of Bryce?" Alice raised an eyebrow. "Just wanting to get away from him?"

"He might have been part of it, but he wasn't the only reason I came. High school boyfriends are just memories in the making, you know?" Britney said. She shoved some sneakers into the bottom of the closet, her usual, brand-loyal Vans in a few different colors.

"Yeah, I completely understand. At least your memories are of a _cute_ boy," Alice teased. Britney laughed along, nodding in hearty agreement.

"That is very true, he was good looking. So are we going out for breakfast or do you want to make something here? What's the plan, darling?" Britney asked, exiting the bedroom and flinging herself onto the dingy green couch, obviously wanting to change the subject. Alice played along with her friend and sat on Britney's abdomen while stroking her chin thoughtfully, staring off into the distance as if thinking very hard about how to answer the simple question.

"I'm thinking that we take a tour of London starting with my favorite breakfast spot and ending with a nighttime ride on the Eye," Alice suggested. Britney nodded, huffing loudly and dramatically.

"That sounds absolutely marvelous, darling. Now get off of me! I need to breathe!"

"Alright, drama queen, I'm off you. Get dressed; we're going for a ladies day on the town!" Alice declared, moving away from her friend and entering her own room. "See you in a few!"

Britney, mostly just tired from the flight and buzzing with nervous excitement about being in a new country, changed her clothes into something comfortable and easy to move in (although that was practically everything she ever wore). She had no idea what the weather would be like or what to expect, so she hoped Alice would correct any problems with her outfit. Alice tossed on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and grabbed a sweater. Her purse had an umbrella in it always, a valuable first year lesson she'd learned from the Londoners. She quickly okayed Britney's wardrobe, ready to be out of the apartment.

"Shall we be off, my lady?" Alice asked, proffering her arm. Britney linked their arms together and opened the door, exiting out into the hallway whilst practically dragging Alice along.

"We shall!"

"And it shall be glorious!" Alice declared. They both burst into quiet giggles, knowing that most of the other people in the apartment building were still asleep. The sun was covered by a thin veil of grey when they exited the building out onto the street, but it was decently warm outside and it wasn't bustling or busy. They meandered down the sidewalk until they reached a small, warm yellow building labeled _The Acorn,_ which Alice tugged Britney into.

"Good morning, Alice, who's the friend?" a grey-haired woman asked from behind the display case at the front of the shop. Britney was stunned by the amazing smells and strange array of names marked in the glass, having realized it was a bakery.

"Good morning, Liz, this is Britney! Britney, this is Liz, the bakery's owner and my first mentor here in the lovely little town of London," Alice introduced. Britney nodded shyly at the elderly woman and Liz smiled warmly back. "She's going to be staying with me until the end of the summer, when we both return to the dreadful United States."

"Ah, yes," Liz smiled with a small roll of her eyes. "What a grand place to call home."

"I wouldn't go back if my visa didn't expire and you know it," Alice huffed.

"Of course, dear," Liz smiled sympathetically. "Now, will it be the usual for you?"

"The usual for me, anyway," Alice agreed. "What do you want?"

"I trust you and your good taste, so I'll have the usual as well. Whatever the usual is," Britney requested, seeming a little nervous and out of her element. Liz's grandmotherly manner quickly put the shy girl at ease and the two began to converse, trading embarrassing stories about Alice while the third party tried desperately to stop them. When the food was ready, Alice accepted the small paper bag and two steaming paper cups from Liz, handing one off to Britney so she could pay for everything.

"I'm sure we'll see you again, soon," Alice smiled to Liz over the counter.

"Yes, and bring your adorable friend again, whenever you do come! I quite like her," Liz winked. Britney tried to wink back, but ended up blinking rather awkwardly with both eyes.

"Where are we off to next?" Britney asked, sipping at her tea and munching the scone in from the bag Alice still held.

"I'm thinking the museum," Alice suggested, tossing the empty bag and steering them towards a bus stop. "And then a few other tourist locations. I'm saving The Tower and Big Ben, though. Did you know that the bell inside the clock is Big Ben and not the clocktower itself?"

"I actually did know that; and please tell me you're taking me to the enormous store," Britney pleaded.

"Harrods? Definitely. Wouldn't be England without that," Alice acquiesced.

The two girls spent the day doing the usual tourist-y London stuff, like taking selfies in front of important buildings. Alice took a picture of Britney posing next to one of the Royal Guards at Buckingham Palace. They laughed and joked and even bickered a little before finally tiring themselves out completely at Harrods, where Britney purchased a very large stuffed lion, which she affectionately named Kevin.

It was late, and there was one thing left to do on their checklist for the day: take a ride around on the Eye, the enormous Ferris wheel on the edge of the water.

Alice purchased their tickets at the kiosk and they jumped into the now-dwindling line. "Selfie?" Britney inquired, hoping to document as many experiences as possible.

"Of course!" Alice agreed, rifling through her purse for her phone. She activated the camera app and they posed in front of the huge amusement ride, beaming. Alice managed to snap a few shots before being shoved heavily into Britney by an unknown person, knocking her shorter friend to the ground. "Hey!"

"Sorry!"

"That wasn't very of you at all," Alice frowned, helping Britney to stand up. The other person, who was clearly male, had a hat pulled low over their face and was standing in front of a group of what Alice guessed were his friends. "Actually it was quite rude."

"You should have been watching out," he grumbled.

"We were standing stationary in line for the Eye. Pardon me," Alice snapped. Britney tugged at her friend's sweatshirt sleeve, nonverbally requesting the aggressiveness to end on either side. Alice turned away from the boy and back to Britney, turning the camera on again. "One more?"

"I can take it for you, so you get the whole thing," the boy suggested. "As an apology for knocking you down…"

"That would actually be lovely," Alice smiled. "Please don't steal my phone; I'm a poor college student and can't really afford a new one at the moment."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he replied. Britney couldn't stop smiling at his adorable British accent. Her American roots didn't often expose her to authentic accents of any kind, and she was happily overwhelmed by all the differences between her country and this one. In Alice's words, 'the mothership'.

"Thanks," Alice nodded curtly when the picture was taken, accepting her phone from the stranger. "I appreciate it."

"Would you mind if we rode with you?" one of the friends spoke up, his accent slightly different but just as British in origin. "The line's moving and we have our tickets already."

"I don't mind, you do Brit?" Alice asked her friend. Britney shook her head and looked over the group of three other boys.

"They seem okay."

"Glad to hear it," the first stranger replied. The group filed in behind Alice and Britney, eventually boarding a pod together. The six of them sat, three and three, in the compartment. Once they were well-lit, Britney tugged anxiously on Alice's sleeve.

"What's up, buttercup?" Alice asked.

"Don't freak out or anything, which I'm sure you won't," Britney whispered, "But I recognize them."

"Are they serial killers?" Alice spoke up. "Hey, are you serial killers because my friend recognizes you and I don't feel like dying tonight."

"Uhm, no. We aren't serial killers. But we are a boyband."

"Oh. My. God." Alice sat, stunned, looking from face to suddenly recognizable face. "You're One Direction. Well that's weird."


End file.
